A foreign national who was living in Hawaii has been extradited to New Zealand to face charges of child rape and related offenses. The extradition followed a request from New Zealand. The charges are connected to incidents that allegedly occurred in 2015. The suspect had avoided authorities since a police encounter in September 2015. The person's identity has not been released due to New Zealand law, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Wanted for the alleged rape of a twelve-year-old in a guest room adjacent to the minor's family home, the man also faces charges of indecent assault on a young person and unlawful sexual connection. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, after fleeing New Zealand, the man managed to evade capture until recently. A female friend of the alleged victim and other witnesses gave statements to authorities. The friend said the man touched her inappropriately months before the reported incident.
A man was arrested in Hawaii in March 2024 by the U.S. Marshals Service with help from Homeland Security Investigations. On April 3, a court in Honolulu approved his extradition to New Zealand. The U.S. Secretary of State later authorized the extradition, which was completed on May 30. The transfer was confirmed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan D. Slack and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, as stated by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
